USS Gerald R. Ford returns home after record deployments including Iran, Venezuela operations
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The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford returned to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday, concluding a historic deployment exceeding 320 days—the longest for a US Navy aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War.
The carrier departed Norfolk on June 24, 2025, initially for a scheduled deployment to Europe.
Its mission evolved rapidly amid shifting global priorities under the Trump administration, redirecting it across multiple theaters including the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Middle East.
In late 2025, the Ford Strike Group supported operations in the Caribbean as part of heightened US pressure on Venezuela.
Its aircraft participated in the January 2026 military operation that resulted in the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The carrier was subsequently redirected in February 2026 to the Middle East to bolster US forces amid conflict with Iran.
There, it conducted air operations in support of strikes and maintained a robust presence in the region alongside other assets, such as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.
The extended deployment tested the crew of approximately 4,500 sailors, who faced challenges including a “laundry fire” requiring repairs in Croatia and other operational issues.
Despite these hurdles, the Ford broke the previous post-Cold War record of around 294 days set by the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2020.
